This invention is in the field of apparatus which makes it possible to shoot firearms with greater accuracy and relates specifically to the shooting of rifles.
The prior art of such apparatus includes a variety of bipods, tripods, rests and the like and more recently apparatus like the Paragon Rifle Bench for which a patent application has been filed and which is marketed by Paragon Activities, P. O. Box 9541, Livonia, Mich., 48150. The Paragon Rifle Bench is a three legged table with an L shaped top and is used with a commercially available folding chair, for example, and a commercially available rifle support as shown in FIG. 1. The legs of the table fold against the lower side of the top for easier transporation of the apparatus.
A second example of prior art is the Phillips Rifle Rest, marketed by Phillips Enterprises Inc., 3600 Sunset Ave., Ocean, N.J. This rest is a foldable, four legged table. The rifle is supported at two points, a padded rest at the fore end of the stock and a shot bag directly under the stock just behind the hand grip. There is no provision for seating the shooter and no provision for shooting from the prone position.
A third prior art article is the Portable Shooting Bench marketed by Joe Hall's Shooting Products, Inc., Dept. AH, 443 Wells Rd., Doylestown, Pa., 18901. This bench is four legged, provides a single rest point for the rifle near the forward end of the stock, and includes a seat directly attached to the bench. An optional gun rest is available and sandbags are useful for more precise shooting.
A fourth prior art apparatus is the Tour De Force Shooting Bench, made by A&A Design and Manufacturing, 361 S.W. K St., Dept. HM, Grants Pass, OR 97526. This apparatus comprises a four legged bench with a single legged table supported from the bench. The rifle rests on a single, padded rest under the forward end of the stock, with the butt supported by the shooter.
A fifth prior art bench is marketed by Original Products, Inc., Rt. 5, Box 484, Dept. S.I., Detroit Lakes, MN 56501. The seat and table top of this apparatus are attached to a single, foldable framework support and it is used with any commercially available padded rest.
In addition a variety of monopod, bipod and tripod rifle rests are available. These, however, are not comparable to bench rests which provide various degrees of support for the shooter's elbows in addition to the support provided by attached seats or separate seats.
The need for such equipment arises in good part because the accuracy and range of modern rifles and the sighting equipment is such that optimum marksmanship cannot be achieved when the rifle is supported and aimed totally or even partly by a person because the rifle cannot be held steady enough. The most precise way to shoot a rifle is from a fixed bench and stool. Atop the bench the shooter has any number of sang bags. The forend and butt of the rifle stock are pushed down into sand bags and the sand bags form around the two contact points. This technique eliminates virtually all human interference with the steady pointing of the rifle. However, this technique is practical only at an established shooting range and not at all useful in the field because the bench is very heavy in construction, requires level ground, requires a plurality of 6 to 8 lb. sand bags and does not allow for a variety of target locations or elevations. The bench is fixed to shoot at a fixed target and the target location never changes. It has been found that with prior art equipment that is portable two handed contact with the rifle is required during the time of firing and such contact has a strong tendency to degrade the accuracy of the rifle and its sighting attachments. This difficulty is obviously aggravated if the firearm must be held and aimed for long periods of time as is necessary, for example, in shooting varmints out of necessity or for sport shooting. Such shooting is frequently done at near maximum range for a combination of reasons including increasing the challenge of sport shooting and allowing for the wariness of the game being hunted.
As can be readily understood, the type of shooting described may be done in areas and on terrains which are difficult to reach even on foot. It is therefore important that the equipment be easy to transport in terms of its size and weight, particularly in relation to its effectiveness in use in terms of stability and rigidity.
It is also quite likely that the sites chosen for shooting in various areas and terrains will not be level or nearly level. It is therefore essential to the effectiveness of the equipment that it be stable and steady in use on sites which are uneven or unlevel or both.
In view of the problem described and the described prior art, it is considered clear that the prior art equipment does not adequately solve the problem of achieving the desired optimum accuracy. It is difficult to stabilize four legged equipment on terrain which is at all uneven. Furthermore, under the best conditions, with a seat attached to the bench any shifting of the shooter's position is quite likely to affect accuracy adversely. On the other hand, with the prior art equipment without an attached seat, the shooter must either sit on the ground when shooting or be encumbered with some type of separate seat when carrying the equipment.
Also, in the prior art equipment support and stabilization of the rifle requires sand bags, firm contact with the shooter or both. Carrying and using sandbags is a definite inconvenience and they do not provide reliable stability in the field. The requirement for firm contact with the shooter makes accuracy dependent on the steadiness of the shooter and this has a deleterious effect on accuracy, particularly when shooting for any extended period of time.
Also, the prior art equipment does not provide a good combination of sturdiness and stability relative to weight and to compactness for transport. The sturdy equipment is heavy (i.e. approximately 40 pounds) and is cumbersome to carry. The lighter equipment tends to be flexible and not provide a stable, steady rest. In view of the above it can be understood that the problem leading to the subject invention was the need for apparatus which is easily transported to and from difficult to reach locations and enables optimum accuracy of firearms over extended periods of time on terrain which is possibly uneven and/or unlevel.
Therefore, the objectives of this invention are to provide apparatus which improves the possibilities of achieving the best accuracy obtainable from given shooting equipment, with the apparatus providing a stable, solid support during use, allowing a minimum of contact with the rifle during the time of firing, capable of compact assembly for transportation, and light in weight relative to the stability and solidity of the support provided. The objective of allowing a minimum of contact with the rifle during the time of firing inherently includes the objectives that the rifle support facilitate aiming and that all adjustments for aiming the rifle be self locking or lockable and that the rifle be held at its balance point. It is a further objective that the above cited objectives be acheivable on uneven terrain, in hard to reach areas and environments and over extended continuous periods of time.